Heroin

What is Heroin

Heroin is a strong opioid which is obtained by synthesis from morphine, extracted from the poppy plant. It is a derivative of morphine. In the late nineteenth century, it was thought to use it to treat tuberculosis instead of the morphine which would make medication “heroic” (hence the name). However, the damage it caused was nothing heroic. At the time of World War I (1914-1918), it is estimated that there was 500,000 heroin addicts in the United States, which is a pretty impressive number for the time. Heroin comes in the form of a white powder that sometimes tends to brown when in granules or crushed. Most of the time it is injected intravenously but may also be snorted, smoked, taken orally, sublingual, subcutaneous, intramuscular. It is the family of depressants since it acts on the central nervous system, numbing the brain by slowing the body function. It is called “H”, “Hero,” “Miss Hero,” “horse,” “smack,” “Jazz,” “brown sugar”, “China White”. So many different names are given to forget that we’re talking about heroin or by strategy to recruit new customers.

Heroin Side Effects

It causes very rapid healing, euphoria and a feeling of ecstasy that is called “rush” by consumers. The immediate effect of intense pleasure followed by a feeling of drowsiness, accompanied by the contraction of the pupils and also:

Nausea (vomiting during initial testing)

Dizziness

Trouble concentrating

A need to urinate more frequently

Blood pressure

Constipation

A more abundant sweating

Itchy skin

From frequent mood swings (long term)

Menstrual irregularities in women (long term)

A rapid and irregular pulse

A slow heart rate

Respiratory depression

Heroin Overdose Symptoms

This happens in case of overdose, and may be accompanied by a skin fresh and blue, convulsions, delirium, unconsciousness or coma and respiratory arrest. This can occur because the effects of a dose will vary depending on its purity and tolerance of the body of the individual or if the dose is too high or if taken with other drugs. It is especially dangerous when mixed with stimulants such as amphetamines, ecstasy or cocaine, but even more so if it is mixed with depressants like alcohol, GHB or tranquilizers.

Heroin Addiction

In most cases, the heroine creates a dependency very quickly. It also creates a a better tolerance the more a person consumes, so the more you consume the more you must increase the dosage and frequency taken to find the intensity of pleasure you felt the first time. Physical dependence occurs when “the body of a drug becomes so accustomed to a particular drug (in this case, heroin) that it can function normally if the drug is present in the body “(Health Canada). When it is consumed, the heroin addict must consume the drug daily. This dependence requires the heroin consumed in the dose of three to six times daily, as needed. The consumer becomes obsessed with it because he ends up thinking about it constantly. This then changes his daily life, because it changes their lifestyle according to the heroin. It becomes difficult to keep a relationship with people who do not use this drug, which creates a social isolation that may lead to homelessness or even prostitution. The arousal of heroin is a recurring observation. Heroin use is often a way to deal with a painful reality by anesthetizing the feelings associated with difficult events. The heroin addict constantly balance between states of euphoria that the drug causes, which leads to a form of relief, and cravings that cause anxiety, restlessness and many other physical symptoms. Other disorders also appear such as anorexia and insomnia.

Heroin Treatment

The biggest fear of a heroin addict is not able to get the next dose. When this happens, they start to feel physical discomfort which is accentuated by time since the last heroin use. This is called craving or withdrawal. These symptoms usually appear four or five hours after the last dose (Health Canada). The list of ailments that characterizes the withdrawal:

Severe anxiety

Insomnia

Runny nose

Sweating

Muscle spasms

Chills

Tremors

Diarrhea

Abdominal cramps

Nausea

Vomiting

Most heroin addicts will be afraid to enter a drug rehab center due to the withdrawal (stop in usage of the drug). In some cases medical detox is needed to safely get the person off heroin to avoid medical complications. If you know someone who is asking for help to get off of heroin ACT NOW, you will only have a short window of opportunity to get the person into a drug rehab center before they change their mind.

If you need help in finding a good drug rehab center that deals with heroin withdrawal and heroin treatment our counselors are available to take your call and to guide you to the best of their abilities. 1 877-909-3636

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